A frontal collision during which a passenger motor vehicle collides with an accident partner or an obstacle with a small width overlap is also called a small-overlap crash. In this case, the accident partner or the barrier impacts at least essentially in a straight direction on the front and thereby the front end of the passenger motor vehicle. Furthermore, collisions may occur in which the accident partner or the barrier impacts diagonally from the front on the front end of the passenger motor vehicle. Such an impact of an accident partner or an obstacle diagonally from the front on the front end of a passenger motor vehicle is also called an oblique crash or frontal oblique crash. Such frontal collisions represent a great challenge to the front end of a passenger motor vehicle. In this respect, it is known that it is problematic that the passenger motor vehicle is acted upon by accident-caused force in the area of its front end on the exterior side of a respective main longitudinal support.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a support device for a front end of a passenger motor vehicle, by which a particularly advantageous crash behavior of the passenger motor vehicle can be implemented.
This and other objects are achieved according to the invention by a support device, as well as a vehicle having the support device, in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
The support device according to the invention for a front end of a passenger motor vehicle has at least one vehicle body component extending at least essentially in the vertical direction of the vehicle, by which vehicle body component respective laterally assigned longitudinal support elements of corresponding longitudinal support planes are mutually connected.
The longitudinal support planes and, therefore, the assigned longitudinal support elements are arranged above one another or consecutively. The support device further has a transverse support of a front end module held at the body of the passenger motor vehicle. In contrast to the vehicle body component, the transverse support is therefore not a component of the body of the passenger motor vehicle or on the vehicle body, but rather the transverse support is a component of the front end module which is joined to the vehicle body. The transverse support is therefore, for example, a component of a bumper and is also called a bending transverse support.
Furthermore, the support device has at least a first support element, which is provided on the vehicle body component on a side facing outward in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The support device further has a receiving device, as well as at least a second support element, which is arranged outside the vehicle body component in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The second support element is provided on the transverse support and extends from the transverse support toward the rear, in an initial state of the support device, in which the support device is not deformed as a result of an accident. The second support element is spaced away from the first support element and, as a result of a corresponding application of force due to an accident, movable at least partially into the receiving device and thereby into a support relationship with the first support element.
If, for example, the accident-caused force application to the support device, in the event of a frontal collision, such as a small-overlap crash or an oblique crash, exceeds a predefinable load level, an accident-caused rearward displacement of the transverse support will occur. This is because the latter will absorb this accident-caused load or accident energy. Because of this accident-caused rearward displacement, the transverse support and the second support element arranged at the transverse support are moved toward the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and thereby in the direction of the vehicle body component and the first support element held on the latter. This eliminates the distance between the support elements provided in the initial state, and the second support element is at least indirectly supported on the first support element.
The accident-caused application of force therefore results in at least one transverse force component, which extends at least essentially in the transverse direction of the vehicle and acts upon the front end and by means of which the passenger motor vehicle is rotated, for example, about the vertical direction of the vehicle about the accident partner or obstacle. As result, excessive intrusions into the occupant compartment of the passenger motor vehicle can be avoided, so that the occupants of the passenger motor vehicle can be protected. The support device and, particularly, the support elements have an effect particularly in the case of a small-overlap crash or an oblique crash. However, since the support elements are spaced away from one another in the initial condition and are therefore not supported on one another, the support elements do not impair other accident situations, i.e. accident situations which differ from a small-overlap crash and an oblique crash, so that an advantageous accident behavior in the case of such other accident situations can be implemented, for example, in the case of a frontal collision with a large width overlap or a full width overlap.
Since the support elements are arranged in the transverse direction of the vehicle laterally outside the vehicle body component and therefore of the respective longitudinal supports, the support device takes effect particularly in the case of a small-overlap crash and an oblique crash, because the support elements will then support one another and, for example, become wedged. As a result, a transverse force support can be realized, so that, for protecting the occupants, the passenger motor vehicle is rotated about the accident partner or the obstacle.
In a further development of the invention, it was found to be advantageous for the second support element to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from a forward outer end toward a rearward inner end. This means that the second support element extends diagonally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the forward end of the second support element being arranged farther outside in the transverse direction of the vehicle than the rearward end. As a result, it becomes possible in a particularly advantageous manner to implement a transverse force component or a transverse force support in order to achieve a particularly advantageous movement of the passenger motor vehicle as a whole.
For implementing a particularly advantageous accident behavior, it is provided in a further embodiment of the invention that the first support element extends diagonally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result of this diagonal course, a transverse force component can be particularly advantageously generated in the case of an accident, so that the passenger motor vehicle can be rotated, for example, about the accident partner or the obstacle.
It is further advantageous for the second support element to have a first length area arranged in the receiving device in the initial condition and a second length area adjoining the first length area and arranged outside the receiving device in the initial condition. The second length area can be moved into the receiving device as a result of the accident-caused application of force. In other words, the second support element, i.e. the first length area, is situated in the receiving device already in the initial condition, in which case, also the second length area is moved into the receiving device in the event of a frontal collision. It thereby becomes possible that, during the accident-caused application of force, the support elements become particularly advantageously wedged and thereby implement a desired supporting function.
In order to keep the number of parts and the mounting expenditures of the support device particularly low, it is provided in an embodiment of the invention that the first support element is constructed in one piece on the vehicle body component. This also generates, for example, a particularly advantageous force path, which benefits the accident behavior.
As an alternative, it is contemplated that the first support element is designed as a structural element that is constructed separately from the vehicle body component and is fastened to the vehicle body component. In other words, the first support element is then an add-on part which, in line with the demands, can be mounted on the vehicle body component.
A further advantageous embodiment provides that the second support element is constructed in one piece with the transverse support in order to thereby implement an advantageous force path.
As an alternative, it is contemplated that the second support element is constructed as a structural element separately from the transverse support and fastened to the transverse support. Here, the second support element is an add-on component with which the transverse support can be equipped in line with the demands.
It was finally found to be advantageous for at least one of the support elements, i.e. the first support element and/or the second support element, to be constructed as a hollow profile. A particularly advantageous rigidity of the at least one support element can thereby be implemented, so that a particularly advantageous transverse force support can be made possible.
A passenger motor vehicle having at least one support device according to the invention is also part of the invention. Advantages and advantageous embodiments of the support device according to the invention are to be considered as advantages and advantageous embodiments of the passenger motor vehicle according to the invention and vice-versa.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.